Advert for the White Hart, gentleman's outfitters

Department stores like The White Heart started appearing in large cities in the late 1800s. Property prices were very high and rather than buying adjacent property, shop owners would convert the storage and accommodation areas of their existing store into selling spaces. Posters, magazine ads, sandwich boards, and colourful window displays were used to encourage people to visit the shops. This leaflet is advertising clothing and electrical goods as well as furniture and bicycles: just a small sample of the kind of goods available at these new department stores.